The Pinta Cavein the Mexican municipality of Cuatro Ciénegas, houses a panel 5 meters wide by three meters high and one and a half meters deep with more than 150 colored figures (red, yellow, white, black and orange), many of them superimposed, which are believed to have been painted at different times from 5,000 years ago to the 16th century.
The site, emblematic of desert cultures, has been the subject of various investigations, academic projects, scientific publications, presentations and conferences. Unfortunately, today it is in the news irreversible loss of one of the cave paintings of this panel, removed from the wall with an electric saw.
According to the director of the center of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) of Coahuila, Francisco Aguilar Moreno, a few days ago the Archeology Section received a citizen complaint, through electronic means, for damage, impact and destruction of the national archaeological heritage .
The expert archaeologist Yuri de la Rosa Gutiérrez He went to inspect the place and found that one figure had been stolen and at least two others had been attempted to be extracted. De la Rosa explained that With the use of an electric saw, part of the wall was cut to remove a plaque with a painted hand. On the floor of the cave, the archaeologist found fragments of painted rock, evidence of the fragmentation and deterioration of the stolen material.
The expert considers that the actions perpetrated have caused irreparable damage in archaeological, historical and cultural terms, according to the INAH in a release.
Punishment with the full force of the law
The Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico, through the INAH and the INAH Coahuila Center, has condemned the filing of a complaint before the Public Ministry of the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic, against whoever has been responsible for the destruction of this archaeological heritage.
The National Institute of Anthropology and History has “strongly condemned the regrettable actions and attacks of which the archaeological heritage of Cuatro Ciénegas has been subject”, and has called on the competent authorities to take the necessary measures in order to guarantee the protection of this and other archaeological sites, as well as to sanction those who are found responsible for this act. «Looking for punish with the full weight of the law those who perpetrated this lack of respect towards the ancient inhabitants of the desert,” he highlights in his note.
He assures that the damage caused to La Cueva Pinta “constitutes a serious damage to assets national archaeological with irreversible consequencesboth in its conservation and in its historical and cultural value”, and remembers that the national archaeological heritage is protected by the Federal Law of Archaeological, Artistic and Historical Zones and Monuments, and “it is the responsibility of all Mexicans to respect it, conserve it and protect it.”
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